Letter to the editor: Armistice needed in Ukraine

OPINION:

In the years I served as a peacekeeper in the Middle East, I leaned that ceasefires were merely fragile periods of attenuated violence that frequently devolved into renewed hostilities. What’s actually needed in Ukraine is an armistice.

First, the U.S. and NATO should insist on one by Nov. 1. Although an armistice wouldn’t end the war, per se, it would be a cessation of hostilities to permit the advancement of other confidence-building measures.

Second, that armistice must include the imposition of a demilitarized zone supervised by a peacekeeping force that should include the U.S., NATO and Belarus, the latter a Russian ally. A no-flight zone — including air patrols and antiaircraft defenses — is also needed.
Third, the armistice must require a full prisoner-of-war exchange, including the 20,000 Ukrainian children Russia kidnapped since 2022. This will send a strong message that both sides are serious about peace.

Fourth, any peace settlement should incorporate an internationally supervised referendum in the war-torn eastern region of Ukraine to determine whether citizens there wish to be part of Russia or remain in Ukraine. Self-determination is important in international diplomacy and the U.S. and NATO should insist on it.

Finally, the peace commission must not involve the United Nations. The U.N. has relinquished any legitimacy it had in establishing peace by embracing the sentiments of terror states like Iran and Hamas. The peace commission must therefore be composed of the U.S., Ukraine, Russia and European nations of significance determined to reach an acceptable solution for both sides.

None of this will be easy. It will take patience coupled with the determination not to be manipulated by Vladimir Putin, whose unfulfilled objective is to establish a new Russian empire.

Otherwise, it will not be a serious-minded effort leading to a lasting peace in Ukraine.

COL. L. SCOTT LINGAMFELTER
U.S. Army (Retired)

Author, “Yanks in Blue Berets: American U.N. Peacekeepers in the Middle East “
Woodbridge, Virginia